Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Thanks to the engaging filmmaking and realistic setting, I can safely say: I was there with them. On the ship during the storm, during the battles and during the moments of relaxation, and I was not bored at all. In the opening battle I was thrown into the whirlwind of the action, with blood, sweat and tears at my fingertips, during the scene with the crashing my ship was being tossed from side to side, and on the Galapagos I relaxed with the Doctor to the strains of the double bass and it was enjoyable. If Weir wanted to show a detailed portrait of life on an English battleship, he succeeded. If he wanted to make an adventure story, he certainly didn't miss. And certainly not with this select ensemble of actors. I believed Crowe and Bettany and their captain and doctor, respectively, every second. And by the way, do you want to know how a scarecrow can help win a naval battle? Then don't hesitate with this film. (30/06/2004)

This is no idyll on a yacht, there's no love line, no picturesque sunsets, no heroic ending, just the open ocean and two wooden boats. Weir's Master & Commander is a cinematic phenomenon that was as close to reality as we've ever seen in historical films, but this doesn’t mean that it is a live-action documentary. In addition to a great cast, the film also features a lavish production design, which also proves the enormous costliness of nautical films. It is therefore difficult to ever see the real highlights of the Napoleonic Wars, such as Trafalgar, the Nile and the whole life of the famous British Admiral Horatio Nelson. (03/03/2016)

A perfect combination of artsy chamber piece focused on characters and “how things worked on those beautiful vessels with sails" with a simple adventure for boys about friendship and duties like out of a dime novel you read secretly during lessons. Despite having nothing whatsoever to do with the equally marvelous book the movie is based on (this is more a mixture of the first and third book with a bit from the tenth book in the Aubrey and Maturin series), this is a simply wonderful movie in its sense for historical precision, characterization of characters or nods for readers (Jack’s missing earlobe, letters to Sophia, Maturin’s “floral" waistcoat etc.) And technical aspects keep step with the content - they are the highest possible standard. The only thing that disappoints me is the non-existence of a director’s cut. As a whole twenty-four minutes of cut scenes demonstrates, not just ballast, but much high quality material was left out of the final cut. (28/01/2007)

For a large part of its runtime, Master and Commander maintains an excellent five-star level of unconventional drama, which does without typical genre clichés and is characterized by a decent atmosphere. The director is not as interested in the war action as in depicting the life of a sailboat crew at the beginning of the 19th century, and through minor incidents and dialogues, the viewer learns a lot not only about a sailor's life but also about the whole society of that time. Among other things, it is a film about friendship and responsibility and a hierarchy of values. The final third of the film, which portrays the clash of two warships, is predictable, clichéd, and above all poorly shot, as well as fragmented, chaotic, and poorly edited. Peter Weir simply doesn't know how to do this, it's not his area of expertise. The culmination of the film for me was not the battle frenzy, but several dialogues between the captain and his ship's doctor. Overall impression: 80%. The film has an excellent cast, with Russell Crowe excelling in his role. In addition to the cast, the film's strengths include the authenticity of the setting and the cinematography, which utilizes all the possibilities that the ocean environment provides. (26/08/2008)

Whatever you might expect, you will get something else. Master & Commander is like a James Ivory film on the water. There’s no epic story, no action, no grand heroes. The film is rather a psychological excursion into the lives of the crew of an old warship, their interpersonal conflicts and the rules that they have to follow. The brightest scene in a war movie would be a successful final battle. In this film, it’s an insect collection belonging to a wounded doctor on a tropical island. The cinematography is beautiful, portraying the individual characters in dozens of detailed nuances. Russell Crowe appears on the screen and you immediately idolize him. And you form a relationship with the other main characters as if you have known them for years. Peter Weir is an extraordinary director. (13/11/2003)